Mothers of Slain Children: We Cannot be Silent

Women whose children were murdered by terrorists in outcry over terrorist release: ‘It’s simply wrong.’

Maayana Miskin, 26/12/13 07:59

Bereaved families against terrorist release

Israel news photo: Flash 90

The government’s plans to release Palestinian Arab terrorists who have murdered Israelis are facing opposition from a new corner: mothers of children who were slain in terrorist attacks.

Bereaved mothers have previously fought terrorist release along with other relatives of victims; now the group ‘Mothers Forever’ (Imahot L’Netzach) is waging its own campaign to keep murderers in prison.

Arutz Sheva spoke to Shira Avraham, whose 7-month-old daughter Shaked was murdered in a terrorist attack on the family’s home in Negohot, near Hevron, 10 years ago.

The terrorist who murdered baby Shaked and 27-year-old Eyal Yaiberboim had been released from prison just two months earlier in an Israeli “good-will gesture” to the Palestinian Authority, Avraham related. He had been in jail due to a previous attempt to carry out a terrorist attack.

“We cannot stand to sit quietly and see terrorists released over and over,” she declared. Freeing terrorists who murdered children “is simply immoral,” she stated.

The bereaved mothers’ group was established to give mothers a chance to meet others in their situation, she said. “We are mothers and we will always be mothers – mothers to children who were murdered, as well as to children who still live,” she explained.

The mothers held a rally in Jerusalem on Wednesday. They stood in the cold outside the Prime Minister’s residence, holding pictures of their slain children. Some of the protesters face seeing their children’s murderers released in the upcoming weeks and months.

Members of the mothers’ group also visited Knesset. “We’re in Knesset today to ask Members of Knesset to ensure there will not be another round of terrorist release,” Avraham said.

She related the pain of watching the government release terrorists again. “We work so hard to keep living, to build a happy home. As a mother I just want to protect my children… I cannot protect them in the state of Israel,” she said.

“It is the job of the government and the Prime Minister to protect us, so that we can protect our children, but unfortunately there’s no sense that the government of Israel is protecting us,” she lamented.